A few weeks ago, Hal and I decided on two ever-so-lovely baby names. Two names we both totally adore that match sort of but not in a rhyme-y, same-initial-y way. They are the essence of themselves, flow well together and we couldn't be more excited to meet our babies and decide which name belongs to whom. (We'll wait to meet them before we decide.)

Choosing names was a family affair and Archer and Fable were included in the process. And even though we're now sure the babies are girls, we have two boy names in our back pocket just in case. (I'll disclose those names after the babies are born. I'm not quite ready to let go of them yet. EDITED: Boys names are now included below.)

Hal and I came up with two boy names (four including middles) we loved almost immediately. Most people have a hard time with boy names but I think girls names are much more difficult because the options are seemingly endless. We had our boy names after one week of discussion much like we did with Archer Sage which we were set on long before we knew I was pregnant with a boy. I still remember sitting cross-legged on the bed of my old apartment before Hal and I had even moved in together deciding that, yes, Archer Sage was the perfect name if we should have a sonsun.

If Archer was a girl, he would have been Colette and if Fable was a boy she would have been Caspian or Noble, all of which were off the list this go around as not to recycle. (ED: I still adore all three names.)

Everyone has differing opinions when it comes to naming their children but for us names are hugely significant. Hal and I are both on the same page when it comes to giving our children unique names that are distinctly theirs. That (to our knowledge) are not owned by any other children in our past or even present.

Naming twins was tough for us because while we didn't want the names to matchy-match, we wanted to love them identically. It was also important for us to pick two names that flattered one another. There were names we loved for a single child that didn't work for twins, specifically same-sex twins. (See: Echo.) We also wanted names that were nickname-able in case the kids felt more comfortable going by shortened versions of their names. (I typically go by "Bec" because Rebecca is extremely formal sounding.)

As promised, here are the names that were at one time on our list of contenders but are no longer. I'm still in mourning, I'll admit, because I adore many of these names and am (ever so slightly) loath to part with them however hopeful that they might find a home and/or inspire those of you with babies on the way. Congratulations, mamas! Godspeed, names!

***

Delphine(F, French) pronounced Del-Feen, nicknames: Del, Delphi.

Delphine means “dolphin” a wise and whimsical mammal, free-spirited, strong… Also named for greek town of Delphi, town believed by the ancient greeks to be “the earth’s womb”… Also taken from “Delphinium” aka the larkspur flower. Other variants of Delphine I love = Delpha, Delphina, Delfina. (ED: Delphi was actually a fierce middle name contender.)

Cypress(M/F) Like the tree, Cypress(es) are known for their durability year-round. They flourish in all four seasons, are beautiful, strong and have had literary significance since the dawn of meaning. They're also beautiful, as is the name, I think, which combines both a whimsy and strength. Possible nicknames: Cy, Essie

Echo(F) pronounced Ek-O, "to have a continued significance or influence", this was a contender before we knew we were having twins. (Echo also means "following" as well as reverberating influence which is the last thing we wanted either of our children to feel.) Love Echo. But not in the case of twins. possiblenicknames: Co, Coco

Lark (F) songbird, a carefree or spirited adventure, amusing. I still love this name so much. It's feminine and upbeat and beautiful. You should totally use it.

Cricket (F) Loud insect of the night. We thought Cricket was cute, but maybe better as a nickname than a given one. Then again, I love the name and think the right family could pull this one off with aplomb and eccentric grace.

Forrest (M) Woods, woodsman. A strong, strapping name rooted (ha!) in nature. Forrest would equally rock as a girl's name I think.

Autumn (F) Season of harvest. Autumn is my favorite season, a beautiful name, but what to call her for short, that is the question. Aut? Tummy?

Clover (F) re: the idiom, "to be in clover" to live a prosperous life. For our fourth child, this seemed appropriate as the "four leaf clover" is a rare fluke of luck, kind of like conceiving twins after ONE night of unprotected sex whilst on the rag. TMI, sorry, but that's pretty... uh... rare. But much like Echo, Clover is a great name for a fourth child, singleton but not a twin, I don't think. We want both girls to come into the world knowing firm in the knowledge that they are equal blessings, luck charms. (For anyone expecting their fourth child, daughter? This name's totally for you.)

Pace(M) pronounced Pa-chay, meaning: Peace (Italian). This was a middle-name front-runner for a boy. Pace pronounced Pace, meaning "speed" is also cool.

Daisy (F) I love flower names and I agree with Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail re: Daisiesbeing the happiest flowers. This is the only name that has been on all three of our "lists" and every time Hal says the same thing. "No!" And I respond with the same, "sigh..."

Dahlia (F) Another flower, this was a contender for a middle name as well. (We were considering flower names for the girls' middle names.) And Daisy and Dahlia are related so...

Zenith (M/F) the very top, (possible nicknames, Zen, Zeni) I like this name as a singleton but doesn't work as well with twins unless the other twin's name was, perhaps, Everest?

Belle (F)Beautiful. Belle wasmy late great-grandmother's name (she who birthed triplets and lived to tell the tale!) but naming one twin after a family member and not the other didn't feel right, even if we were considering it for a middle name. Also, I think my sister secretly wants it for one of her unborn babes. Tis yours, Rach.

Luna (F)Moon. Luna is too similar to Fable's middle name (Luella) and is also increasingly common in our neighborhood. But its still OH SO lovely and has all the elements we look for in a name, strength, meaning, poetry... sigh.

Castle (M) magnificent mansion (ED: I went to school with a boy named Castle and have always loved the name. It's strong and unique and, okay, maybe a little TOO strong. Forboding, even? I lost track of Castle after high school but as far as I can tell, he went on to become the Navy Seal he always wanted to be. With a name like Castle, of course he did.)

Harbor (F) a haven where ships seek shelter from stormy weather. I love Harbor as a name because it's a beautiful word and I love that it means safe place. It also sounds like Harper, so it almost seems like it might be a name even though it isn't one.

Paisley(F) ancientsymbol of life and eternity, official pattern of "pyschedelic style"... I love Paisley even if my mom was like, "EVERYONE named their kids Paisley in the 70s." (I have yet to meet a thirty-something Paisley so I think she might have made that up.)

Brave(M), a potential middle name, meaning, well, Brave. Love.

Blythe (F) Happy. I've loved Blythe since I performed in our Junior High production of Blythe Spirit. In fact, Blythe Spirit is a great FULL name. Anyway, apparently Hal knew a girl named Blythe that he wasn't a superfan of. But it's so pretty and upbeat. Like Daisy. "Daisy and Blythe" would have made for some seriously edible twin girl names, no?

Sebastian (M) venerable, respected.A classic. I've always loved this name but Hal was always very "eh" about it. I think because he assumed I wanted to name our unborn child after my favorite band. (Uh, no.)

Phoenix (F/M) a person or thing as uniquely remarkable (see also, Phoenix rising from the ashes, self-renewing) Hal loved this name (his idea, actually) but it's become increasingly common around here so I vetoed.

Nova (F)new, bright star. A high contender for first (and middle) name, we both really liked Nova.

Aura (F) physical halo, subtle (spiritual) illumination surrounding an object, essence of an individual Hal and I both liked this but found it difficult to say. It's feminine and like Harbor, sounds like a name even though it isn't typically. I loved its light. It's airy and feminine. Would fit really well with Nova as first or middle names.

Marigold (F)In many cultures Marigolds are regarded the "celebratory flower" and used in worship, weddings, funerals, celebrating life... (Nicknames: Goldie) Hal didn't like Marigold so that was that but I hope someone out there falls in love with it as I did because I looooove it for a child, teenager, woman, little old lady in a rocking chair, and could SO see one of my children running around barefoot, flowers in her hair, Goldielocks.

Apollo(M) God of music, poetic inspiration, medicine... the sun. (ED: this name was off the table because Hal's friend just named his son Apollo. Solid taste, Hal's friend.)

Azure (F) bright blue like the clear sky. Lovely.

Lumina (F)Sunshine. Unfortunately Chevy got to this one first. Also, too similar to Fable's Luella.

Meadow (F)Too Sopranos-y, but such a lovely name, nonetheless.

Season (F) - Sea I LOVE for short, Season was something that matched with Saffron (below) but also represented natural change and four quarters of one whole. I envisioned four seasons and how together, they make each and every person and la la away I go again. Season was not a favorite for Hal so I mourned it and moved on. Kind of.

Beatrix (F) - One of my favorite old names. Bea is perfection for a little girl - and Beatrix is gorgeous for all ages. I also quite like Trixie.

Saffron (F) - A spice, yes, but also one of the most healing spices in the world, not to mention the most precious. I loved Saffron with Marigold, for first names OR middle names because they were both bright and happy sounding. Who wouldn't want to spend an afternoon with Saffron and Goldie?

Valentine (F)sweetheart. I actually love this for a boy as well. (Henry Miller's middle name was Valentine.) Val is cute for short.

Zephyr (F) - West Wind. This was a top contender for me, even if it was on our past list as a boy's name. We could call her Ephy (Effie) for short. Someone please take this name and give it a good home thank you amen.

***

Archer's suggestions:

Manhattan & Newyorkcity

Fable's suggestions:

Meow & Moo-Moo

xo,

GGC

Updated: Had Boheme and Reverie been boys we would have named them Vox Shepherd and Revere Blaze. More on that, here.

Forrest was my husband's favorite-est name for a boy. He INSISTED on it when I was pregnant the very very first time. I HATED it (Run, Forrest, Run!). I miscarried soon after, the same day we lost a 20 year old cat that had been with me its entire life. We got a new kitten to ease the pain (of the lost cat? lost baby?) and named him FORREST. I now love the name. For the cat.

Grandpa Norm
| 1:16 PM

Your name choices are so wonderful I am unable to register a favorite. But remember, whichever names you select never have to permanent. I had a cousin who was given the name Martin... but all his life he was called Sonny. And that was for no reason at all. It just happened. So - pick the names you like and we'll see if they stick.

I'm loving Fable's name choices. I love baby names. I let Tim chose our oldest daughter's name because I was a boy. It definitely isn't one I would've chose, but I couldn't imagine her as anything other than a Haley. She wishes she was a Halle because she LOVES the nickname Hal. Haley named her sister Aurora, who we actually call Rory. Naming babies is hard because there are so many great ones to choose from

You do come up with some excellent names. Which is precisely how I found your blog in the first place. While in the midst of a very long distance relationship (Seattle to Dallas) and not even considering having a child, I had a dream that we were taking a walk, found a baby sitting on the sidewalk, decided to take her home with us and call her Fable. I remember sending a text to my man describing the dream, and it took him FOREVER to reply. When I asked him why, he said he was blown away by the dream, by the name. "That name..." he said, equally dreamily. I did a Google search for something like "baby fable" to see if I'd stumbled onto something unique or not. And there you were. I have to admit, I was kind of ticked at first. I hate it when people have my awesome ideas before me! But I quickly fell in love with your blog, so I easily let go of my grudge. The Man has since moved to Seattle, and we had a baby nine months ago. Ours decided to be a boy, so no matter anyway!

You and Hal come up with some amazing names. I really like Delphine, Cypress, and Nova, and I once had a fish named Luna. I might have to add a couple of these to the list for our baby girl. We'll see if my husband is down for the adventure.

I love flower names just like you! For my daughter, I proposed Dahlia too, but we called her Florina, which is a very popular name in Romania but not used at all in France (I am French). For my second baby, my man and I had NO name in common exept for a boy's name and thanks God it was a boy!!! So that's how we named our son Swann (please don't even think it has anything to do with the movie Black Swan...). I love that my daughter is a flower and my son a bird.

I like most of your name choices a lot (Daisy is my all-time favourite girl's name but my ex nixed it twice, and I've always loved Sebastian too), with the exception of Delphine (which is very pretty but too common here in France, and slightly old-fashioned, but not quite enough to be coming back (think Jennifer and Kelly in Britain and the US)) and Cypress: the trees are native to this part of France and are the biggest source of allergy (to the extent that councils are banned from planting any more). I've suffered with cypress-pollen allergy SINCE JANUARY and I'm going insane. I could never use the name for a baby now...Very taken with Meow, I must admit! When I was expecting my second (actually called Lydie Rebecca, both very, very rare in France), my elder daughter (Carla Noémie) was most insistent that we call her new sister Fluffy - that's what she wanted our cat to be called but he's older than her and was already an unimaginative Tom!

Anonymous
| 1:40 PM

Rebecca~

I waited all week for this post and it did not disappoint!! You and I have similar taste in names I think. I've mentioned before that I have 21mth old twin girls, one of which is named Nova, and two little boys, one of which is named Noble.

I have enjoyed every pregnancy post, belly picture and nursery post thus far, and am so excited to see your beautiful ladies.

love the names! Saffron has long been one of my favorites, and Valentine was on my list for possible girl names but my husband isn't too into that one. I like Harbor, but in the description you had the word HAVEN, which I think would make a nice name too. If we ever had a 4th baby we have the boy name picked out (it would be Henry, which I wanted to change my son's already chosen name to once he was born) but we are up in the air as to a girl name. I like anything french because our other girls are Isabelle and Sophie, which are so common now but also classic, I think. whatever we pick though, I am totally calling her Cricket as a nickname - I love that! and of course, this is all totally hypothetical since the odds are super slim we'll have another baby (not MY choice, but oh well).

Can't wait to hear the names you did keep since these are all so great!

I'm pregnant with our second girl and some of the names on our lists overlap! Delphine will likely be her middle name, and Olive and Scarlet are our current frontrunners. Azure and Luna are beautiful as well. We're trying to decide on a name that has the same sort of feel as her sister: Violet Isolde.

Congratulations! I can't wait to see the babies and have their names revealed!

I've always wanted to name a daughter Valentine for the character in Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" novel/series. Now I'm prego and think I'm having a girl, and it's on. Glad you included it in the list although I hope not many others use it. :D

Sarah
| 1:50 PM

I've long adored the name Luna - please don't tell me it's getting popular?! Also love the name Olive, but it seems to be gaining too much traction as well.

These names are all so awesome! You really have a special gift for coming up with baby names that are both uncommon and perfect - I can't wait until the ladies are born and you announce their names!

For us, a boy's name was harder than a girl's. We have our girl's name carved in stone, but for a boy... the name I've wanted forever suddenly became über popular. (This is, I think, the problem with boys' names - there are only like, 6 of them.) So, we went back to the drawing board and I swear our son named himself! We came up with his name out of total nowhere. Everyone who has heard it has at least convincingly pretended to love it (his name is Paulo - pronounced POW-lo), so I think we did pretty well! :)

I too love the name Blythe. It is my daughter's name. I loved that it meant "Happy," because my hope is that wherever she goes in her life, she will be happy. She is 15 months old and is such a happy sweet little one!

d.g.
| 1:56 PM

Zenith and Azure have been at the top of my list forever, though I'm not exactly sure I'll ever have another child. My "baby" is nearing 14 now, so... yeah. Eeek!

Oh, what fun to read all the names left on the cutting room floor. They're beautiful so I can only imagine what these gorgeous babes will be called.

My middle child, Ramona, was named Eydie for most of my pregnancy with her. It never sounded quite right to me (even though Eydie is one of my fave singers of all time) but we loved it so much it stayed. About a month before she was born it dawned on me it just wasn't her name. Her name was Ramona....came in clear as a bell. She's truly a Ramona and I'm so glad I listened.

These names are adorable! I have two children; Eli (male) and Sunny (female) with hopes for one more. If it's a girl I'm totally talking my husband into Marigold aka Goldie. Cutest. Name. Ever. Love you and your blog! You're the best!

I've always loved Marigold as a girl's name. It's so happy! It reminds me of my daughter's middle name, which is Clementine. Two smiley, happy, sunshiney names. If I ever met two little girls named Marigold and Clementine I think I would die from the cuteness.

Glenda
| 2:57 PM

Beautiful list of names. So uncommon and unique. You and Hal are definitely very creative. And the TMI... lmao...

Can't wait to hear the girly x2 names you come up with and their middle names. Oh so fun!

Zephyr / Zephir (also a character in babar the elephant) was on our list. But my husband's ex beat us to it and named her son that a little while ago, the troublemaker ; )I know a little Blythe, lovely.Love your list, I could go on and on about it, but I won't.

Oddly enough we are set on our girl's name (for one baby) However, Clover is creeping back in. It was my Grandma middle name and I have forever love the thought of her as a young girl among her jersey cows in WI. Ms. Gene Clover!....Beatrix Clover...However it won't fly here because has to be something that sounds good in English and Spanish! Darn you hot latino man for getting me knocked up ;)

I also considered Clover for She Who is Due This Sunday (AKA Oaklynn). She will make us a family of four, plus the Irish in me digs it. Vetoed by husband. :( My three-year-old daughter, Lillia (see how one is like a flower and one is like a tree? Genius, no?), wanted us to name her Necklace or 'F,' but we decided those would make better nicknames...

Beautiful names, very inspiring. I love Saffron but my mom and brother are big Absolutely Fabulous fans, and she named her daughter Saffron and that would constantly be brought up. I love Marigold, but I fear that people would inevitably call her Mary, which I don't like.

My husband thinks Baby 2 is going to be a girl, so we've been vetting names hardcore. We run each name through what we call the "comin to the mainstage" test...if you say that phrase and then the name in question fits too well after...then its too stripperish and it gets veto'd. Personally, I love the name Cinnamon but that failed the test immediately.

WOW! My husband and I have a name list for future babykins and 50% of the names on our list are also on yours. That's great. You have good taste in names! I hate seeing that so many people have dogs named Luna- because that's almost certainly what we will go with if we have a girl. Although, the name Vega for a girl is high on our list too.

Your "Lark" reminded me of my thought to name my future daughter "Wren" (as a middle name methinks). My friend named her son Apollo back in '05 and as it stands, the kid is pretty awesome. Can't wait to find out the names you guys decided on!

I love the names. There are so many beautiful ones. I named my son Julian Cannon. His nickname is Jules because he is my Jewel. My daughter's name is Macon Olivia and I just love it. It's different and fits her perfectly.

Thank heavens you aren't doing matchy names! I have a twin sister and I'm so grateful we don't rhyme, although we did do matching outfits for awhile (gag!). ;) We went to high school with 7+ sets of twins. (Debbie & Diane, Jennifer & Jessica) I love that my parents have never pressured us to be the same and always have appreciated our differences. My grandpa was also a twin and we shared a special bond with him. I'm so excited for your family!

whoa...we have the same exact taste. my son is Hendrix but if he was a girl would have been Colette with Delphine in a close second (also love Cosette)! AND if we have another boy our first choice is Caspian!

my sister's name is Echo! she's in her 30's now so it was quite the unique name when she was a kid. we used to call her Co or CoChodaisy is one of my absolute favorite names.maybe you could start a baby naming service because i am in love with all these names!

Megan
| 7:22 PM

On a windy night when the power went out, my daughter was conceived (because there was nothing else to do!). The whole time I was pregnant with her, we called her Zephira, or Zephie, for the wind. It's a lot like Zephyr. We named her with her real name when she was born, but I've always loved her gestation name. I'm glad to see someone else does, too!

Laura
| 7:58 PM

I have a seven month old names Autumn. We call her Tum Tum or Tumbalina. I love the names!

So many great names! Delphine and Dahlia were always on my short list of names I love, and it made me smile to see them both here. I love both Lark and Clover as well. Bird names and flower names are my favorite.

cd
| 8:41 PM

I really loved Alondra - Spanish for lark which I also love, but not sure I ever mentioned it to my husband. Should have done!

Wow, with a list like that, I'm SO curious as to what their names actually will be! I plan on using this list next time around, I love some of these names and they might take some talking-into on my husband's part, so it might be nice to show him that "cool people" thought these up haha!

Your names list (for Fable)was how I originally stumbled upon your site, in search of a name for my third son (I now have four boys and that's enough thank-you!). Love your names and I smiled when reading them because more than a few were on my list and some even made the final cut. The above mentioned third son we named Milo Foxx Valentine and our last baby boy was Cypress. Our first son, had he been a girl, would have been Nova (which ended up being used by my sister-in-law for her baby girl). Bottom line - awesome names. I can't wait for the grand annoucement.

Loving Clover, Marigold and Beatrix for girls and Valentine and Apollo for boys.

Your names rock and I cannot wait to hear the twins names when they are here.

Sydney
| 4:42 AM

Also - glad you vetoed Phoenix and Luna.

Got a Spice Girl vibe going on there. (Mel B has a Phoenix and Victoria Beckham's third boy would have been a Luna)

Farnés
| 4:59 AM

Oh, my God, you rock!!! Since I am 32 weeks pregnant right now and have been adoring you for picking magnificent and classy names for Archer and Fable, this list... oh Rebecca, this will keep me busy all weekend.

I have a handful of great names picked out already, but unfortunately my boyfriend doesn't like any of them. So, not very easy...

I love you, thank you so much.

Kate
| 5:09 AM

As usual, you and Hal never disappoint when it comes to names! I love nature names and reading your list was pure heaven. Also, I know my husband really likes traditional names and he rolls his eyes whenever I bring up Ruby and Autumn (two of my favs), so I'm living vicariously through you! Can't wait to hear the joyful news when your girls are born.

Connie
| 5:20 AM

Great names!

It's is SO ironic...my husband and I are at that point where once we wrap up a few loose ends, we'll likely stop trying not to have babies, and so occasionally we'll chitchat about names.

Last night, we were driving past a spice shop near our place and we got to talking about my obsession with saffron. Swoon. If it's on a plate I will make sure to gobble up every single little piece of it. I said, "Man...you're just lucky that Saffron starts with 's' because otherwise I'd come in swinging to have that be a baby girl name."

(Our last name begins with S, and I feel like miss Saffron Sch_______ would have a very hard time saying her own name-what if she had a speech impediment?! Our poor daughter!). So, while I LOVE Saffron, it's simply not to be. Someone MUST use it though. I like Delphine, though. And Marigold. So charming!

Anonymous
| 5:26 AM

Love your list of names! I have been a loyal reader for a while now (since before Fable was born) but have never posted. I agonized over my children's names, Molly Claire (one name not hyphenated) and Seamus, for months. It's funny though because of all the names I had on my lists, neither of them actually became their names. We looked at them when they were born and decided then. Seamus was "No-Name" for a few days!

I'm so happy for you and your family as you prepare for the birth of your twins. I have to admit that when you first announced you were pregnant I was totally jealous. Seamus is now 10 months old and growing faster every day. Hubby was scheduled for the big "V" and I guess I was feeling something akin to grief at the idea of not having more babies. I have found acceptance and no longer feel as strongly the desire to have more. I will continue as always to smother my two with as much love and kisses as I can before they no longer want it - the all over face kisses anyway!)

I am so glad you aren't going with Paisley, as I know two people who have used that name in the last year. The first time I heard it I thought it was cute and original. By the second time, I was over it! So excited to see what the final names are! And can I just say what a freaking gorgeous pregnant woman you are!?!?

Jessie
| 6:21 AM

I saw Castle on your post and BAM, I am in love. We have been having the heck of a time figuring a name out for our second boy after thinking we chose a not common name for our first (Micah), and then that being not so much the case.

Whoa, I am not even kidding you - over HALF of those names were on our list of names that we seriously considered with this last pregnancy. Sadly, my husband simply couldn't embrace the hippie fever that had struck me so badly and wanted to go for a more traditional name. We went with Audrey, which was recycled from when Julian was born, if he were to be a girl. And we also had a thing where we couldn't know a person with that name because then it's just....weird.

We had very similar criteria for choosing a name for our son. It had to be significant, unusual but not weird (ie. difficult to pronounce), strong, and flow well with his last name. We settled on Knight, my last name as his first, and Bear (before Alicia Silverstone!) Knight Bear. I expect Knight, too, will soon be all the rage.

I love so many of the names on your list. Looking forward to hearing what you settled on for your girls.

I have to agree that boys names are much easier. The moment I got pregnant I knew it had to be a boy and we picked a name right away. Our baby was Roger for the first half of the pregnancy. 20 weeks later my boy bacame a girl and it was impossible to choose a name. I think too many bad memories from junior high made me veto some nice names. I love your list of names and may have to poach should I be lucky enough to have another. Lark is my fav!

Well, I guarentee this won't be the last time your little girl is giving "cute" names to your little ones. My daughter has new names for our twins everyday. But we settled on Marley and Willow for our twins. They are both girls and totally fit their names. We actually decided before they came out which one but it had a lot to do with telling their personalities before they even decided to come out. Willow was very calm in the womb...hardly ever moved. Marley was constantly moving and kicking and jabbing.

Gretchen in Brooklyn
| 7:42 AM

I grew up with a girl named Paisley who legally changed her name to Elizabeth at the age of twelve.

Oh, someone please take Clover and love it! It was on my list, but my partner's last name is Green (we'll be giving the kids a double-barrelled last name just as soon as they arrive), and DP thinks Clover Green-(mylastname) is just cruel. . .

I really can't wait to see what you've chosen this time. REALLY. Torturous waiting!

When I sent you a list before Fable, you said that a lot of the names were ones already on your list - and now I see them! Too funny.

My cousin's kids are Dahlia and Truman. My grandmother's maiden name was Paisley. I actually know an Echo and a Forrest (whose sister is Happy). Cricket was the mom of a girl in high school (whose daughter was Chloe WAY before that one came back).

We, also, have a MUCH easier time with boy names. WAY easier. I think we might be the only ones, though. Our names are not quite as poetic as yours, Kendall and Grayson - but they fit our vibe.

I love Haven and Ever. Had to put those in the wind. Even though I know you've already chosen!

CONGRATS on finding THE ones!! It's so hard and so gratifying at the same time.

Kate
| 9:42 AM

I looove these names! And if would have had a boy and a girl and not named them Belle and Sebastian, I think I would have judged you a little bit.

Love this list! I found myself thinking "hmmm maybe I'd use that name instead". I'm not pregnant yet but we have pretty much come up with names for our future children. Unlike you, we're going with family names. I love the idea of being connected through the generations through names. It just dawned on me that, if we have a boy and girl and go with our chosen names we'll have William and Kathryn. Yeah...so maybe we'll change our minds.

Do you think you might change your choices when your babies arrive? I know a few people who were set on names and when the baby was born they just didn't feel it fit at all. And I agree with Grandpa Norm: you never know what name will stick! In Jamaica, where my mum is from, people have given names but are known by most by a nickname that has nothing to do with their given name!

My children named themselves, in a way. As soon as I was pregnant with my first, that very day I knew I would have an Isla (Pronounce eye-la) a Colin, a Nora (possibly Helenora) and an Emmett (still trying to convince my hubby of this name) So far we have the first two with us and think we will be working on the third in another year or so. We obviously will be joining you in the tribe of van owners. ;-)

I like your kid's names a lot and can't wait to hear the chosen ones for the girls. I specially love your children's middle names and how well they fit with their first name.

Now, in Spain we don't use middle names because a kid actually takes both parent's surnames, not hyphenated (spell?) and I'm not a fan of long names, so my name is Cati "Dadsurname" "Momsurname". This can be a pain, since it's not like we can choose our surnames. My boyfriend's surname and my surname don't sound specially good, they sound "meh" to me (together).

That said, I would never use Luna for a girl since here it's a very common name for pets. I have a cocker spaniel named Luna :D

I already have decided a boy name if I ever get pregnant with a boy, but with girls it's more difficult. One I've liked for years but can't use because it's too similar to the boy's name I've chosen is Laia. It's a catalan name that derives from the greek "Eylalios" and means "the well spoken one". Cute for a girl, isn't it? For a boy, I wouldn't use it for obvious reasons but my boyfriend's name sounds really good: Saul. It's hebrew and means "the wanted one" or "the chosen one". I like it a lot :)

My husband and I picked baby names (two boys and a girl) long before we were even married! :) And they still stick with us. Do some children come to us already named? I believe so. After 7 yrs, those names are still very firm to us as "the ones" and we're not even pregnant! Our girl name is Autumn, and for short, Autie or Audie. Not sure how we want to spell the nickname yet. GREAT GREAT name. I don't care if there are billions of Autumns in the world. Its a beautiful name, and seaons. Can't wait to hear what you ended up picking!

Gorgeous names, Bec! My husband and I are expecting our first, a boy, in three weeks. We've narrowed our choices to two, I just have to see his little face before I can truly commit. But, I will most definitely be filing a few of these lovely names away in case of a second one! My husband's tastes tend to be a bit more traditional, but surely I could at least sway him to use one as a middle name?

Love this list! My son is Sebastian, and my two daughters are Daisy Aurora and Juniper Lark. Their names make me happy whenever I think about them :)

Anonymous
| 2:26 PM

i've always loved the name forrest, but alas, i married someone with the last name dick. my husband liked the name dottie for a girl, but to me dottie dick just rings STD. i like daisy too but daisy dick sounds too much like daisy duke. and the problems go on... i've had to cross off many, many names from the list, including mylo, violet, hugh, tobin (=toby=moby dick), etc. fun stuff.

Despite leaving the longest comment ever yesterday, I forgot to mention other names that you might like: my daughter has a friend called Calypso, which I love, and there are lots of lovely French names: Domitille, Bertille, Lauriane, Anaëlle, Clothilde, Perrine, Olympe...

I am so in love with these names! One of my best girlfriend's name is Forrest and I love it.And I actually agree with Archer on Newyorkcity. But minus the city part.I would love to name a future daughter New-York.

So many of the names I've selected for my future children are on here! We have such similar taste in names, Rebecca, as I liked the name Fable (which I've since parted with because it belongs only to your Fable now) and Echo! A few others on this list too. I have my fingers crossed that one of the names you choose isn't my front-runner (which I'll tell you after I give birth to her in several years!).

I had a chuckle when I saw Cypress on your list. I think if we named one of our kids Cypress being from Louisiana people would give us the stink eye. As it is now people can't say my youngest daughter's name and it is very Louisiana, Evangeline. I even still get a upturned eyebrow. Her name means the bearer of good news and her middle name Claire means to be clear. I think you can tell what we were going for.

Can't wait to find out the girls' names.

P.S. I, also, had to chuckle, because our friend's name is Lark. I can't wait to see his face when I tell him he has a girl's name. TeeHee.

Many of these were on my list for the new baby, Ever ELizabeth, (before the two celebrity baby boys named Ever were born!!!what the heck!) the name Marigold was a top contender for Ever and then during my pregnancy CJane had her baby and named her Ever and I was like WHaaa!? but couldn't change it for such a silly reason (right? )... and our other kids are

Lola MoonIan OliverDakota WOlf

I can't wait to hear your names, I am OBSESSED With naming. I tease my husband i'd like ten kids just to name them all....

A friend just recommended your blog. I too am 19 weeks pregnant, although not with twins! Just found out its a boy! Boy number two, now I'm really out numbered...We have had Lark on our list of names since we got pregnant with our first child. I adore that name and hope that if I ever have a girl it's not popular where we live! We just came up with Pheonix today too before reading your blog!Thanks for sharing your list! P.s. I look as big as you do, except I am not having twins so you have an excuse you look amazing for having two babies in there!!! Everyone keeps telling me I'm huge for 19 weeks!

Anonymous
| 11:33 PM

Cati, that is funny because I read these names and thought they would be good names for future pets (no disrespect here but I have just a bit more traditional taste in names for humans). I think Luna would be beautiful for a Golden Retriever or a pretty fish. Daisy, Clover, and Belle would be perfect for a sweet cow. Phoenix would be great for the right horse. I love these names!

Rebecca, how do you feel about people taking your kids' names? Would you be annoyed if someone Fable's age was named Fable because her parents copied your idea? I'm thinking there's probably at least one person who did because the names you've chosen so far are creative and unique but not the kind that scream "unemployed".

my second girl's nickname is lark. i love it and would have chosen it for her first name but it sounded very staccato with our last name. turns out she came out of the womb and let out a 'caw! caw!' so she was destined to be our little lark... :)

Anonymous
| 7:49 PM

the name harbor reminds me of my friend's daughter's name. Her name is Haven.

What do you think of the name Lhasa? Have you heard the music of the late Lhasa de Sela? If not, you must. She died, too young, just a couple of days before our daughter was born, after having battled breast cancer. I cried a river. Her music was a blessing in my life (still is) and got me through so much. We almost named our daughter Lhasa, but alas, it was not meant to be. Sometimes I still think, ohhh, what if we had! Definitely a name i mourn. But I wouldn't change a thing. Our daughter fits her name perfectly.

All the best to you and yours! Very exciting times, indeed!

anne
| 8:17 PM

marigold was our girl name for last time (had a boy-jude). I will likely use it in the future. We also loved echo, clover, beatrix and lark, but haven't had a chance to use them yet...I'm going to bookmark this list for future reference.

Great names! I'm so excited to see what names you bestow on your little ladies. Some girl names I'm loving are Nova, Wren, Freya, Giselle, and Vale. :) I've got two boys so maybe I'll get to use one on our hypothetical third baby!

Anonymous
| 7:06 AM

We are cosmic soul mates! I ADORE all of these names--love them. Can't wait to see what the winner-names will be!

Beautiful and unique. Makes me so curious what the winning choices are!

Lark is amazing, although Sebastian was a favorite of mine when my son was born.

Anonymous
| 11:49 AM

inspiring list! i am due right around when you are... with one girl and we're having a harder time with naming our second girl. my 3 year old daughter is Ada, and we have too many favorites for girl #2. I am in love with Salome or Cosima.

I have to know where your necklace is from.

Also, my belly is as big or bigger than yours and i only have one baby in there!

Ah my name is Autumn and surprisingly over the years a lot of stuck. My younger sister coudn't say my name so she has nicknamed me "Autumna" and it' has stock. Also I get Aut, Auttie, A, and Auttie Dottie which is shortened to Dottie. Weird I know but I think no matter what name you give nicknames just sort of happen! My daughters name is Sienna and no way did I think CC would be her nickname but it along with Si, and Seec seem to stick amongst friends and family. Can't wait for the great name unveiling!

Love this! Its a very timely discussion for me as I am about to deliver my third baby any day now. I share with you a fondness for names that double as nouns or adjectives, and I especially love flower names for girls. My eldest is named Scarlett Grace and my son has a family name complete with roman numeral at the end -Rudolph IV (Rudy for short). I have had much more difficulty naming a third child (another girl). Our last name is Blythe (I know! Right off your list) and I prefer the rhythm of a 2 syllable first name paired with a single syllable surname. SO. Our number one favorite (revealed so far to very few people) name is... Pepper Jane. My husband and I love it, but all of a sudden I am having second thoughts. Can I imagine calling out PEPPER! across the playground? Our other top choice (also making an appearance on your list) is Daisy Jane. We've been trying them both on for size and will make a final decision once we see her little face. I'm hoping that once we meet her, the right name will be clear.

Hi Rebecca,I've just discovered your blog and I'm so glad I did!I love the names you and your husband chose for your children: Archer and Fable are just beautiful and the special meanings that they have adds to their perfection.Looking forward to being a regular reader of your wonderful blog!

We named our son a "classic" name but gave him an (at the time, at least!) unusual nickname. It left him the option open to use his formal name, his middle name, or another variation of his name (his name is Alexander James, we call him Xander - at the time it was after the Buffy character but now it seems it's everywhere! Oh well, I still love it and it suits him - we tend to refer to him as "X" in print but "Xan" or "Xander" in person. If he grows up to be more restrained, he can be Alexander, or Alex, or James, or keep Xander. We wanted to give him choices.

Do you know about the Bengali tradition of giving a child a "good" name and then a "fun, informal, at home name?" This is kind of what we did; gave him a dek nam for home and a formal name should he choose to use it in the big wide world.

I had a dream the other night that you went to get the babes' charms on your necklace and they couldn't get the pendants to hold the names properly and one name was always in front of the other. I was quite sad for Baby Namehidden. That being said I hope this is not a dilemma that happens because it is a lovely necklace!

I was really pushing for Marigold and the husband didn't like it either. What is it with these guys? Also, I had babysitters when I was a kid named Cricket and Echo. A lot of these names were common in CA in the 70s. Lovely list!

Next baby, I'm pushing for Garland.

Mari
| 11:40 PM

It is nearly impossible to have a name that no one else does, which is okay. I think a child is unique, regardless if someone has his or her name. As long as they own it, it is uniquely theirs!

(I saw a comment further up, someone with an Anders. My son has two Anders in his 2nd grade, crazy!)

HA! My name is Aura-- bestowed by my very hippie parents in 1975. And Beatrix was my pick for our babe, had he been a girl. Instead, he was a very perfect little boy named Eliot. Enjoying following your twin journey, and look forward to hearing the names, which i'm sure will be utterly unique and beautiful!

Girl names I am fond of but are up for grabs because my husband doesn't like them: Piper, Peppermint, Polly, Rhonda, & Ramona. Then there are Mable and Molly but those sound comical with our last name.

Anonymous
| 7:50 PM

Pregnancy reflux salve: 1oz. Aloe Vera juice1oz. Black Cherry juice

Mix and drink before bed... Saved my life!!! Would wake up choking and gasping for air before I read about and tried it! Only had ONE night of reflux with baby #2 because I started this immediately after the first time the reflux happened...

Also love that is is all-natural, so I don't have to worry about it affecting the little people growing!

Anonymous
| 10:01 PM

I really like the names Hadley (Hatti for short) and Keaton (Keats for short) for girls. If I was having twins...I would DEFINITELY have these HIGH on my list. As for your list....I Love Meadow. My good friend named her first born Willow Dawn. She said people react very strongly both ways...some love it, and some REALLY hate it.

Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous
| 10:31 PM

Girls:ArdenMagnolia (Maggie)SylvanPetra

Boys: TheoSilas

Just a couple of my faves too. LOVED yours!

Anonymous
| 3:41 AM

Ok, my huge problem is, that I find out what the exact sex of the baby is on 6-24-11 & I am so very excited about it, & my husband & I are really really praying that God has blessed us with a boy because we have 2 girls already & there names are my eldest daughter which will be 7 in Nov. Her name is Gracie Leah(After my Grandmother & my mother) then our 2nd daughter will be 4, July 8, & we put like 5 names in a hat & my daughter Gracie pulled the name out & her name became Brooklyn Jade. So, now I am 16wks along & due in Nov 17,2011 & the name we picked for a Son was Jackson Lee, after my husbands father & both myhusband's middle name, my father, & pretty much both of our Grandparents have that "Lee" as there middle name but, the reason I am really stuck is we have "No Girl Names" & everybody that we know that are having kids right now are naming their sons "Jackson" & I am just so upset with it, what should we do, any suggestions-Liz Burnette

One name in particular came to mind when I was reading through your discarded list...Sunniva. It's the Scandinavian version of an Old English name that means "sun gift." I love it and have never heard it on someone in real life.

Julia
| 7:34 PM

Love Lark and Beatrix. Beautiful. I appreciate how much you take to time to really think of a meaningful name and how the two sound together. Otherwise, you end up with two Hawaiian names (Kavika and Kalei) and an obvious American one, like Ashley. For the middle child, no less. But, I digress, I'm infatuated with all of the names on the list.

Brandy
| 8:15 PM

My 8 month old daughter is named Clover! She's our first though! My husbands family all go by their middle names so it's actually her middle name which is good because years ago I shotgunned my Grandma's name, Audrey, and when my sister had her daughter first she respected my shotgunning and named her daughter Violet. My husband was never a big fan of Audrey so we gave it to her as a first name. We had a pretty short list of names. At first we liked Clementine and then one day my husband walked into the living room and said "Hey you like the name Clover?" and I was like "Fucking love it" and that was it. We had one boys name, Thurston. I would have named her Clementine Clover if I hadn't shotgunned Audrey.

I LOVE your list of names. I'm a big fan of original baby names. I have a girl, Bijou and a boy, Blaise. My husband and I are pretty sure we're done at two but if we ever had more we'd name them Matilda for a girl or Atticus for a boy. Sometimes it's tempting to have more just to use the names we love ;)

Obviously it has been quite a while since I have visited your site. I had no clue you were pregnant again, let alone with twins.I know it's crazy but I want twins. The idea of two for the price of one has always appealed to me.I know, I know.With my first girl we didn't find a name until a week before she was born, finally I insisted we decide.He really liked Pearl, which I liked but more as a middle name so she is Roxy Pearl. This time around we decided much sooner but it still took forever in my mind. Again, he really liked Jade, (he liked it the first time too.) And again I liked it as a middle. Finally we found Haven, so she is Haven Jade. We didn't want too common, but we didn't want weird either.Both of us have VERY common names. Like top 10 for the last 100 years common. Slight exaggeration.Slight.Congrats on the babies.Excited to hear their names.

I never comment, but I can't help but chime in, even late to the game here. I love the baby name discussion- it's so fun!

We have friends with two girls named Poe & Blue, which I find quite lovely. My girl names of late are Rigby (also like for a boy), Maude, Wren, and Juniper. I love Annie, too. Rigby has really been my #1 for either gender for some time. My husband is stuck on the name Royal for a boy- I'm not sure I can get my head around it, but then, I'm not even pregnant, so I don't really have to! It's just so romantic, somehow, the naming part, and the ongoing discussion we have over it. I love it.

Best of luck with everything in the upcoming weeks. Following along in utter fascination :)

I know a couple who named their twins Brock and Blythe (boy and a girl, obviously). I also know a woman who named her daughter Beatrix (very British sounding, which her sister now lives in England and has a daughter named Ivy...also British sounding). I have another friend who named her daughter Preslea. Which came to mind with Paisley.